An examination of joint laxity in haemophilia.
Patrick JH., Bem JL., Aronstam A., Darby SC.
An adolescent haemophiliac group (all less than 1 per cent Factor VIII) and a normal, similarly aged, 'control group' of boys were examined to measure joint laxity in an effort to identify a causative factor for bleeding. Definitive laxity was found in the thumb joints and in finger extension of haemophiliacs compared with normal boys. The haemophiliacs who were more lax-jointed showed no tendency towards an increased number of bleeds when they were followed for 100 days. Possible explanations for these phenomena are discussed.